Young footballers having nothing to fall back on should their dreams of a career in the game fail to materialise is increasingly becoming a thing of the past thanks to League Football Education (LFE) producing young men who can not only kick with their feet, but think on their feet, too.

LFE, a partnership between The Football League and the Professional Footballers' Association, was formed in 2004 to oversee the education and welfare of apprentices at Football League clubs. At the time around a third of the boys aged 16-18 weren't making it to the end of the existing educational programme, and less than 30 per cent were completing it successfully.

"We successfully manage a wide range of academic abilities within youth development programmes," says Alan Sykes, Chief Executive of LFE. He backs up the comment with the latest figures, which are in marked contrast to the pre-2004 results. "For every 100 Apprentices who started the programme in 2006, 91 finished it in 2008- so there's the integrity of the programme preserved - and LFE expect 88 out of 100 players to achieve the full educational framework.

"Those are, if I say so myself, quite outstanding results. Not only are we performing at these high levels for the benefit of football, but the achievement levels place LFE as one of the top providers of work-based learning in any sector."

The Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (ASE) was introduced in 2004 to cater for the development of elite athletes. "It has four elements to it," Sykes explains. "The players do a technical certificate at college, which is sports-related, studying things like nutrition, psychology, physiology and fitness; they've got an eight- unit NVQ to do, which is A Level standard; they do a level-two coaching qualification, which the PFA deliver on our behalf, which gives entry into the UEFA B Licence; and if they don't have maths and English at A-C grade when they leave school, they have to do key skills in both at level two."

All of this is funded by the Learning & Skills Council and, in Wales, by the Welsh Assembly. This is further supported by a significant contribution from the PFA and substantial investment from clubs themselves. In 2008/09 LFE will pay out over £5m in supporting club youth development programmes and meeting apprentice education costs.

When the LFE programme was assessed by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (now Ofsted) in December 2006, it was awarded an overall grade two, which in layman's terms meant it was "good". There are currently just over 1100 apprentices on the scheme at 64 Football League and six Conference clubs.

However, LFE's role is not just confined to turning out a steady stream of 'bright' footballers: they have now become involved in what Sykes calls "exit and progression work".

"Each year around 35-40 per cent of Apprentices get a professional contract," Sykes says, "so by definition 60-65 per cent are released from the programme." Looking after the players when they are released gives the programme greater integrity, and Sykes believes it also encourages the boys and parents to commit in the first place.

Apart from Assessment Trials, at which the players may be offered a professional contract by another club, LFE provides routes into further education and employment. In March 2008 it staged its first careers exhibition at the City of Manchester Stadium, attended by more than 350 apprentices and 21 exhibitors, and there are plans to hold two a year in future, one in the North, and one in the South.

"We had some quite big employers there, such as the Carphone Warehouse, Marks & Spencer and Selfridges," says Rob Hezel, who manages the exit and progression side of LFE. "Some of the major universities, like Loughborough and Carnegie have bought into us, and we've just developed a programme with 'YMCA Fit' where Apprentices can take a course which could lead to employment in a gym.

"Basically all our progression partners are buying into the ethos that this is a set of elite athletes with a range of skills beyond just their qualification. Yes, those are important, but these young men have something else to offer prospective employers: team work, morale, discipline, the will to win, all skills which can be transferred directly and successfully into the workplace."

LFE set out to develop and establish an educational programme that would support the technical development and career aspirations of all Apprentices, whilst helping Football League clubs to improve their already high standards. Four years on and LFE is a significant success story within Football League youth development.